Fossella: Withhold U.N. Funds Over Safety Violations

WASHINGTON — A Republican congressman from New York is proposing that the federal government withhold more than $400 million owed to the United Nations if the world body fails to address fire code violations that the city has said are "unacceptable."

Rep. Vito Fossella, who represents Staten Island and part of Brooklyn, said yesterday that he would introduce a bill to withhold American dues next year if the United Nations does not meet deadlines for repairs to its East Side headquarters that Mayor Bloomberg outlined in a letter last month to Secretary-General Ban. The Bloomberg administration has threatened to halt U.N. visits by city schoolchildren if its demands are not met.

It says the United Nations has fixed just 20% of the violations identified by the New York City Fire Department.